Thread: Canvas Strop...again

While waiting for my birthday and strop present from CarrieM and JrJoeD I decided to take another look at my vintage strops that have both leather and canvas. I like using the canvas but have only used one of them due to a wavy or bumpy form to the others. Well they weren't doing me any good the way they were so a plan of attach was formed. We were going to wash the canvas in the cloths washer and spin dry, take them out and steam iron them in an effort to flatten them then hang them with a weight at the bottom to pull them straight. It sounded good.

After the wash and steam iron (hand iron) they were still a little wavy, but not as much as when we started so we hung them weighted and let them finish dry. Well, nothing improved over the ironing so I had to re-think. Maybe we can take them to the Dry Cleaners and have them press them in their professional flat iron? There had to be something else we could try at home. Well, I've been resisting putting paste on any strops other than my paddle so that was out, besides they weren't flat enough. Then I remembered reading on Classic Shaving: "For a hand finish, the canvas strop is given the following treatment:
Attach the swivel end of the strop to a fixed point, such as a nail.
Lay the strop flat on a smooth and level surface and hold the unsecured end firmly.
Rub a bar of dry soap over the strop, working it well into the grain of the canvas.
Rub a smooth glass bottle over strop several times, each time forcing the soap into the grain and also removing excess soap."

So, that's what I did. I got a bar of Ivory and rubbed it into the canvas strop. In the worst case I could wash them again and the soap would come out. To my surprise it flattened and stiffened the canvas! OK, how did the soap effect the canvas while stropping my straight? Or better yet, how did the soap effect the straight? I was delightfully surprised. Other than the dust cloud that formed on the first few stropping sessions and the dust on my blade, the canvas w/ soap and leather stropping resulted in a smoother edge than previously obtained on any of my straights and I and stropped and used the straights I tested numerous times prior to this test. Now I have all of my canvas and linen strops in service and ready for action.

Do any of you have any thoughts as to why the soap improved the action of the canvas? I'd also be interested in hearing of other 'stuff' that you put on your canvas besides abrasive pastes.